ANet is a nonprofit dedicated to the premise that every child in America deserves an excellent education and the opportunities it provides. We pursue our vision of educational equality in America by helping schools boost student learning with great teaching that is grounded in standards, informed by data, and built on the successful practices of educators around the country.

ANet blog

As a mission-driven nonprofit organization, our primary concern is helping ensure equitable opportunity for all students.

Working alongside schools, we’ve learned that great teaching is grounded in standards, data, and insights shared among educators. We believe a blog can help us make a difference by spreading the ideas and effective practices of educators we work with.

We’re proud of the expertise our team has built over our ten years, and we'll be featuring contributions from ANetters across the org on topics in which they’ve immersed themselves.

Help us spread opportunity for all students: please share posts that you find valuable with your colleagues. And please add your thoughts in the comments: we would love this blog to facilitate knowledge-sharing in all directions.

Black students and scholars have long advocated for greater representation of Black history, culture, and achievement in American education.

Back in 1926, African-American historian Carter G. Woodson proposed Negro History Week in February (the week of Abraham Lincoln & Frederick Douglass’ birthdays). It quickly spread to schools and public institutions across the country. During the Civil Rights movement of the ’60s, Black college students advocated expanding it to a full month. Since 1976, U.S. presidents have officially designated February as Black History Month.

Why does it matter? As educators, we strive to provide students with both windows and mirrors—windows into the cultures and experiences of others, and mirrors that reflect (and thereby honor and value) their own culture and experiences. Black History Month is an annual reminder of our responsibility to offer these broadening windows and affirming mirrors.

This is a step in the right direction, but it’s a small step. To truly advance equity, Black history and contributions—and those of other underrepresented groups—must be woven into our teaching all year, not just during a single month.

Our students are often our best teachers. In 2016, eleven-year-old Marley Dias launched the #1000blackgirlbooks campaign after being frustrated that she was “only able to read books about white boys and their dogs.” In other words, she needed a better mirror.

As we collectively seek to better understand the role of race, culture, socio-economics and privilege in our schools and communities, let’s re-commit to actively reflecting on our own and others’ experiences, perspectives, and identities. Let’s make space for both windows and mirrors to enhance instruction and positively impact students’ lives.

Brod, Ashaki, and Jasmine are ANet coaches in New Jersey and Philadelphia.